The present invention relates to a urine collector for collecting the urine of female quadrupeds, of particular but by no means limited application for the collection of the urine of mares.
Devices for collecting, at the point of excretion, the faeces or urine of various animals have been used for some years for both sanitary purposes but also to facilitate the reuse of the excrement. This practice has become particularly significant owing to the recognition that this excrement may contain valuable components, such as hormones of value in the preparation of some pharmaceuticals. Urine, in particular, has proved to be a remarkably rich source of such hormones, which has prompted the development of urine collectors. This is a relatively straightforward matter for male animals but considerably more difficult for female animals, especially if the urine is to be kept free of faecal matter. As the urine of a pregnant mare, for example, has been found to have particularly valuable constituents, a number of known devices attempt to collect such urine as conveniently, efficiently and contaminant free as possible.
In their simplest form, a urine collector may comprise a simple receptacle located behind the animal, and relying on the force of urination to carry the urine to the receptacle. Faeces tend to be ejected less forcefully, so dropxe2x80x94in such collectorsxe2x80x94between the animal and the urine collector. However, in some cases faecal matter may be ejected with such force that some faecal matter may reach the urine collector, even if the aperture of the urine collector is covered with a mesh to exclude large portions of faecal solids. Even if the faecal solids are stopped by such a mesh, the mesh will become contaminated such that urine subsequently directed towards the collector will become contaminated as it flows through the mesh and into the collector. In addition, faecal fluid emitted by the anus may run over the urethra during urination and thereby contaminating the urine stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,553 teaches a collector tube for urine and adaptor therefor, in which a vulva-encircling oval ring is held in position against the animal by means of a harness, with a fluid-tight bag attached to the oval ring in which accumulates the collected urine. The oval ring must form a strong contact with the animal between the vulva and the anus to exclude faecal matter. The harness, which engages the animal, also supports the fluid-tight bag. The oval ring, however, is of relatively rigid material and therefore is easily dislodged from its ideal position when the animal moves about a stable or paddock, or pushes its rump up against a tree or fence. Further, an oval ring of any particular size can be used with only a limited range of animals, as different animals differ in the size of their vulva, the distance between their buttocks, and the distance between the anus and vulva. Variation in the last distance, between anus and vulva, causes particular difficulties as the ability of this device to exclude faecal matter is highly dependent upon the correct locating of the device firmly against the perineum. As a result, leakage and rubbing may result if this device is used with a mare with a vulva at the upper or lower end of the mean vulva size. This problem may be overcome by custom-fitting each animal, but this adds expense to the manufacturing process and is undesirably time consuming.
There is also little resistance to the sideways movement of the device, which therefore readily becomes dislodged from its most effective position. Finally, even under ideal circumstances this device performs poorly in excluding faecal fluid, which is generally omitted from the anus after solid faecal matter, and which runs down from the anus along the animal""s hide.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,714 discloses a similar device, which attempts to overcome some of the deficiencies of that of U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,553, by providing an outlet tube to the collection bag and tethering this tube between the legs of the animal to discharge forward of the animal. As a result, this device reduces to some extent unwanted lateral movement of the oval ring, but is only suitable for use with a stabled animal. The device of this patent, in other respects, shares the shortcomings of the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,553.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a urine collector for female quadrupeds which in use will resist dislodgment and reduce the risk of faecal contamination without undue discomfort to the animal.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a urine collector for collecting urine from a female quadruped, having:
a urine receptacle having a urine inlet for receiving urine;
a support member for supporting said receptacle, said support member locatable to bridge the buttocks of said quadruped adjacent to and below the vulva thereof and generally conforming to the shape of the rump of said quadruped to thereby resist lateral displacement;
wherein said receptacle is supported by said support member so that said urine inlet is proximate to and substantially surrounds the periphery of the urethra of said quadruped.
Thus, the urine collector of the present invention does not need to surround the entire vulva, or form an effective seal against the perineum, as it employs a receptacle located around the urethra itself, and therefore at a greater distance from the anus than in prior art devices such as those of the above mentioned U.S. patents. Faeces are deflected by the top of the receptacle, andxe2x80x94as the support member carries the weight of the receptacle remote from the vulvaxe2x80x94the receptacle will exert little if any pressure on the vulva. The urine collector may be attached to the quadruped by any suitable known means, such as a suitable harness, such that the urine collectorxe2x80x94including most importantly the support memberxe2x80x94is located in the desired position.
Further, the vulva of the quadruped is used as a natural barrier to deflect manure over the top of the urine receptacle or chamber which itself is minimised in size as it is only required to surround the urethra and not the entire vulva.
Preferably the urine collector includes first and second flexible panels for locating against the respective buttocks of the quadruped and attached to said receptacle, to further restrict unwanted movement of said receptacle and to aid the locating of said receptacle adjacent to said urethra. The firsthand second panels may be integral with each other.
Preferably said receptacle is of a flexible construction.
Thus, it is desirable that the receptacle be of a flexible material to reduce the risk of injury to the quadruped.
Urine may be accumulated in the receptacle, but preferably the urine collector includes a reservoir and the receptacle includes a urine outlet in fluid communication with the reservoir.
Thus, the receptacle will not have to bear the weight of the urine and may be compact in size.
Preferably said urine outlet is provided in a lower wall of said receptacle.
Preferably said receptacle is located by said support member to leave a passage between that portion of said receptacle below said urine inlet on the one hand and said support member and said vulva on the other hand, to allow the passage of faecal fluid flowing down the hide of said quadruped.
Thus, as faecal fluid will flow down the rump of the quadruped rather than be projected rearwardly, a small passage between the support member will allow this faecal fluid (which may contain some faecal solids) to pass and prevent its build up. The passage should be sufficiently large that faecal fluid is substantially prevented from entering the receptacle, but not so large that urine is lost as it crosses the resulting gap between the urethra and fluid inlet. Preferably, therefore, this gap is between 2 cm and 4 cm, and more preferably about 3 cm. That portion of the receptacle above the fluid inlet, however, should remain adjacent to the vulva so that faecal matter is prevented from entering the receptacle, as discussed above.
Providing this passage may lead to the loss of a small volume of urine, but the significance of the loss of volume will be greatly outweighed by the preservation of the purity of the collected urine.
The receptacle preferably has a top portion comprising a roof for inhibiting falling faecal matter from entering said receptacle. Preferably said roof has an underside provided with a ridge to encourage faecal fluid to detach from said underside and thereby not flow into said inlet, and/or to direct flow of faecal fluid away from said inlet.
Preferably said support member has a central portion that, in use, is lower relative to the urethra of said quadruped than are portions of said support member adjacent to said central portion.
Preferably said central portion is between 3 and 4 cm lower, and more preferably approximately 3.2 cm lower.
This is to reduce the likelihood of the flow of downwardly directed urine being partially interrupted by the support member. However, this central portion may not be the only central portion of the support means: the central portion may be a first central portion in use distal from the mare, and the support means may have a second central portion in use proximate to the mare at substantially the same height as the adjacent portions.
The present invention also provides a method of collecting urine from a female quadruped, involving:
supporting a urine receptacle, having a urine inlet for receiving urine, so that said urine inlet is proximate to and substantially surrounds the periphery of the urethra of said quadruped.
Preferably said method includes supporting said urine receptacle by means of a support member locatable to bridge the buttocks of said quadruped adjacent to and below the vulva of said quadruped and generally conforming to the shape of the rump of said quadruped to resist lateral displacement therefrom.
Preferably the method includes locating said receptacle by means of said support member to leave a passage between that portion of said receptacle below said urine inlet on the one hand and said support member and said vulva on the other hand, to allow the passage of faecal fluid flowing down the hide of said quadruped.
Preferably said method includes inhibiting falling faecal matter from entering said receptacle by providing said receptacle with a top portion comprising a roof. Preferably said method includes providing said roof on an underside thereof with a ridge to encourage faecal fluid to detach from said underside and thereby not flow into said inlet and/or to direct flow of faecal fluid away from said inlet.